The Toronto Maple Leafs have a busy summer ahead, but there’s plenty of reasons it isn’t likely to be smooth sailing for General Manager, Kyle Dubas.
First and foremost the Toronto Maple Leafs still didn’t make it past the first round of the playoffs. They did come in 4th overall, while playing in the league’s toughest division, and their reward for a franchise record setting season was a date with the back-to-back champs, so whatever your views on this version of this team are, there is at least logic behind the idea of “running it back” with the same team.
Secondly, the Leafs have some contract decisions to make that may very well make or break the team, especially when it comes to working out the goaltending situation.
Finally, there’s very little by way of draft capital for the Toronto Maple Leafs, so Kyle Dubas can’t even look forward to a summer of easily restocking the prospect cupboards.
Kyle Dubas has the challenge of trying to keep the team as good as it was, or even to improve it, while working within the confines of the NHL salary cap.
Toronto Maple Leafs Offseason Is a Challenge
The Toronto Maple Leafs took the reigning Stanley Cup champions to Game 7, and played well enough to win. The fans can lament the fact that they didn’t move on, but management is clearly betting on this core to eventually break through.
However, they failed to clear the hurdle in the final year of cheap deals for several players; namely Jack Campbell, Ilya Mikheyev, Morgan Rielly, Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin.
While some of those names aren’t going to prove huge difference-makers in terms of the team doing any better this coming season; it’s also still a big issue to have to turn over so much of the team’s depth to keep under the salary cap.
Factoring in the new contract that comes into effect for Morgan Rielly, to say the Toronto Maple Leafs are a little top-heavy is an overstatement. Kyle Dubas will really need to work his magic to find cheap depth.
To be fair, he has managed to do that every single year he has been in charge.
Last summer the Leafs placed bets on several free agents (Mrazek, Bunting, Ritchie, Kampf, and Kase) to go along with previous cheap bets on Spezza, Simmonds, Engvall, and Mikheyev.
while most of those worked out, Kyle Dubas made two deals that in hindsight were significant overpays. The first was to Nick Ritchie, the second was to Petr Mrazek, however, that’s the deal with cheap players – if they were predictable, they’d already have contracts.
The Leafs have consistently found solid NHL depth at bargain basement prices by making bets on as many cheap players as they can, knowing that inevitably they’ll find an Engval, a Bunting or a Kampf.
The Nick Ritchie signing was remedied in the lead up to the trade deadline, bringing across rental defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in return, costing only a future single second or third round pick. This turned out to be a solid trade for the Leafs and Lyubushkin fit in so well he ended up on the top pairing for much the time.
The Petr Mrazek contract meanwhile is a thorn in the Toronto Maple Leafs side. With two more seasons at $3.8 million and with a 10-team no-trade clause, it’s a challenging contract to shake free of.
Though there was plenty of promise last summer that he could become a partner in a strong goaltending tandem, several injuries have turned the contract into a bit of an albatross. Though Mrazek could come back and revive his career, his contract only works with a dirt-cheap #1 like Jack Campbell, which the Leafs will no longer have.
Dubas needs to shake free of the Mrazek contract, preferably without buying it out, preferably without retaining salary and ideally without giving up a high draft pick. Mission impossible in all reality.
Toronto Maple Leafs Problems
Let’s also not forget that the Leafs appear to be in a contractual stand-off with their All-Star goalie, Jack Campbell right now. Renewing his deal has been seen as a key piece of business, but feels increasingly questionable.
Not renewing the fan favourite goalie might not be an utter failure especially if it prevents an overpay that the team might regret. Finding alternatives in net isn’t exactly easy business either.
Moving on to another issue rearing it’s ugly head right now – namely the contract renewal of Rasmus Sandin. The future of the Toronto Maple Leafs blueline has for quite some time been regarded as both Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren.
Unfortunately for Kyle Dubas, his addition of a very useful competitor in Mark Giordano may very well have upset the apple cart when it comes to the young Swede.
Right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs left side is made up of Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Mark Giordano and Rasmus Sandin. That’s a pretty experienced and challenging group to break through.
However, Sandin is unlikely to cost very much money on a short-term deal, and the Leafs are not likely to move on from a 23 year old defenseman with as much promise as he has, regardless of the roster’s current makeup.
Finally, looking to the NHL Entry Draft in Montreal and the Toronto Maple Leafs lack much by way of draft picks. As of this moment, they’ll be picking just 3 players; one in the first round, one in the third and one in the seventh. This is the cost of being a competitive team, but the Leafs done an excellent job of adding prospects to the system outside of the draft in order to make up for trading picks.
Additionally, the Leafs had 18 draft picks in 2019 and 2020 combined, instead of the normal 14, so it does seem like they prepared for this scenario.
With all this said, it’s up to Kyle Dubas to make good of a summer that doesn’t look, from an outside perspective, like it’ll be much fun in the Toronto Maple Leafs office.
If indeed he can get the Leafs out of Mrazek’s contract, find a starting goaltender whether that’s Jack Campbell or otherwise, renew the Leafs depth and maybe add some bargain deals with the hopes of another Bunting-like breakout, then maybe we can view it as a successful summer.